In conventional poultry chilling processes, shackles are used that hold only one whole bird. The shackles convey the birds through a refrigerated space, e.g., an air-chilled space, until the birds reach government mandated temperatures. Subsequently, the birds are unloaded from the shackles and taken away for further processing.
With reference to FIG. 1, a conventional shackle 2 typically includes a connection point 4 for attaching to a conveyor chain 6, and leg loops 8 that secure the legs of the bird 10. The conventional arrangement requires a given amount of space per linear foot of conveyor chain 12 for each individual shackle. This space includes the conveyor track 14, chain 12, and shackle 2. This space also includes the whole bird 10 that hangs from the shackle 2, with the shackle 2 and bird 10 typically occupying about twenty inches vertically. With conventional arrangements, it is only possible to hold about two birds per linear foot of conveyor track and chain.
Conventional systems require a large amount of conveyor track and chain infrastructure, and as a result, building space, to chill a whole bird down to government standards. This in turn requires a large amount of capital outlay for tracks, chains, drives, and building space, as well as large operating and maintenance expenses to operate and maintain the systems. Additionally, in order to fit as many birds into a given area as possible, conventional systems often use a sharp turn radius, e.g., of 180 degrees. This can also lead to increased power requirements, in order to drive the chain and shackles around the system.